Alpha-tocopheryl acetate is absorbed and hydrolyzed by Caco-2 cells comparative studies with alpha-tocopherol.

Caco-2 cells were used as a model for investigating and comparing the absorption of alpha-tocopherol (Tol) and alpha-tocopheryl acetate (Tac) solubilized in micelles based on a mixture of sodium taurocholate (NaTC) and oleic acid. Surprisingly, the uptake of Tac was found to be similar to that of Tol, and in both cases, the dose-response plots suggest that protein-mediated transport processes were involved. Moreover Tol or Tac were also secreted into the basolateral medium of Caco-2 cells but Tac was mainly hydrolyzed either prior to absorption or intracellularly.

A fast, sensitive HPLC method for the determination of esterase activity on alpha-tocopheryl acetate.

Although data on the behavior of tocopheryl acetate (Tac) in the gut is rare, some studies show that this ester is hydrolyzed in the intestine and the released tocopherol (Tol) is absorbed. An HPLC method is published for the simultaneous analysis of Tol and Tac in mixed micelles. This study shows how this method is used for the measurement of esterase activity on Tac using commercial cholesterol esterase.

A fast, sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl acetate in mixed micelles.

This report improves analytical procedures to investigate the behaviour of the two Vitamin E forms, alpha-tocopherol (Tol) and alpha-tocopheryl acetate (Tac), in model systems mimicking the intestinal medium. We describe how to prepare mixed micelles as vehicle for Tac and Tol and the HPLC method for their quantification in the micelles. Tac and Tol were extracted using ethanol-hexane-drying procedure, whereas the separation and detection were performed in methanol and by UV method, respectively.